33 billion RFID tags by 2010

.....taken from http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20060120PR200.html

More than 1.3 billion radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags were produced in 2005, and by 2010, the figure will soar to 33 billion, reports In-Stat. However, production will vary widely by industry segment for several years, the market research firm said.

RFID has been used in automotive keys since 1991 and the number of RFID tags used for the segment has reached 150 million units, exceeding other segments until recently, according to In-Stat.

“By far the biggest RFID segment in coming years will be Supply Chain Management,” says Allen Nogee, In-Stat analyst. “This segment will account for the largest number of tags/labels from 2005 through 2010. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has spurred this projected growth by mandating that its top 100 (and, later its top 300) suppliers begin to use RFID.”

A recent In-Stat report found that the spread and use of RFID in most sectors will be largely determined by cost and the cost of RFID tags and labels are dropping quickly, said the research firm. In addition, In-Stat found that pharmaceutical companies are investigating using RFID tags to reduce counterfeiting and black market sales. Meanwhile, privacy issues have been raised concerning the use of RFID and courts and governments around the world are currently in the process of determining related legal issues, the research firm said.